Device for attaching fabric or similar material to support



Sept. 14, 1965 N. B. RIEKSE 3,

DEVICE FOR ATTACHING FABRIC OR SIMILAR MATERIAL TO SUPPORT Filed June22, 1962 WM'HIII.

j a INVENTOR.

ill. 15. 9/5/6535 United States Patent 3,205,547 DEVICE FOR ATTACHINGFABRIC 0R SIMILAR MATERIAL TO SUPPORT Neil B. Riekse, Detroit, Mich.(3853 Legion Lane, Los Angeles, Calif.) Filed June 22, 1962, Ser. No.204,564 2'Clai1us. (Cl. 24-243) This invention relates to a device forsecuring a sheet of fabric, plastic or other deformable material to asupporting surface, preferably in sealed relation therewith, so that thesheet material can be removed whenever desired.

A few of the many possible uses of the device include the sealing of oneedge of a shower curtain to a wall of a tub enclosure, the mounting ofpanels of plastic material for storm windows or other enclosures, andthe mounting of protective covers for objects of various kinds.

The general object of the invention is to provide a device which willsecure a sheet of deformable material in sealed but removable relationto a supporting surface; which will not injure the material; and whichcan be readily and easily installed.

A device constructed in accordance with the invention consists of a pairof members, one of which is formed of resilient material with alongitudinally extending recess and with a slot communicating with therecess, the width of the slot being less than that of the recess. Theother member includes a recess engaging portion having a width greaterthan the slot but less than that of the recess so that this portion ofthe other member can be placed in contact with the sheet of material tobe secured and forced through the slot into the recess of the firstmember thereby retaining the material therein. One of the members isprovided with suitable means whereby it may be secured to a supportingsurface, preferably in sealed relation therewith.

In the preferred construction to be described herein, one of the pair ofmembers acts as a base member and is provided with a recess having theshape of an equilateral triangle in cross-section, and a base surfaceadapted to be secured to the supporting surface. One apex of thetriangular recess points toward the base surface and the side of thetriangular section opposite this one apex is approximately parallel tothe base surface. A slot is formed in this opposite side of thetriangular recess communicating therewith but having a width less thanthe recess side so as to form an inwardly facing shoulder on each sideof the slot. The slot side walls are tapered and resilient so that theymay be spread apart. The other member is an insert member consisting ofa strip of non-resilient material having an equilateral triangularcross-section but of area less than that of the triangular recess. Thisinsert member is engageable with the strip of material to be secured andcan be forced through the slot and into the recess. During thisoperation the triangular shape of the insert member functions to spreadthe resilient sides of the slot apart and, when in the recess, theinsert member and material are engaged in interlocked but removablerelation with the base member, particularly the inwardly facingshoulders thereof.

Other features and advantages of the construction will appear from thefollowing detailed description of the presently preferred embodimentthereof disclosed in the accompanying drawings which include thefollowing views:

FIGURE 1, a vertical section through a typical bath tub installationshowing the device of the invention employed to anchor one end of ashower curtain;

3,205,547 Patented Sept. 14, 1965 FIGURE 2, a vertical section at aright angle to the View of the structure shown in FIG. 1;

FIGURE 3, an enlarged sectional detail taken as indicated by the line3-3 of FIG. 1 showing the parts in ex ploded relation; and

FIGURE 4, a view similar to FIG. 3 showing the parts assembled.

A conventional tub installation includes a wall 10 at the head end ofthe tub 12 on which a shower head 14 and shower curtain rod 16 aremounted. When the shower is operated difliculty is usually experiencedin positioning the shower curtain 18 so that water does not escapebetween the curtain and the wall 10 at the head end of the tub. Thisdifficulty can be effectively prevented by employing the device 20 ofthe present invention to removably secure the shower curtain to the wall10 in sealed relation therewith.

The construction and operation of the device are shown in detail inFIGS. 3 and 4. It consists of a pair of members 22 and 24, which forconvenience will be referred to as a base member and an insert memberrespectively. Base member 22 is formed of extruded relatively resilientplastic material and is provided with a base surface 26 and alongitudinally extending recess 28 with an outwardly facing slot 30communicating therewith, the slot having a transverse dimension lessthan that of the recess. The other or insert member 24 has a transversedimension greater than that of the slot 30 but less than that of therecess 28 so that the insert member can be engaged with the sheet ofdeformable material, namely the shower curtain 18, adjacent one edge 32thereof, and forced through the slot into the recess thereby retainingthe curtain 18 therein.

In the preferred construction shown the recess 28 in the base member 22has the cross-sectional shape of an equilateral triangle, the apex 34 ofwhich is located adjacent the base surface 26, forming a pair ofinwardly converging sidewalls 37 and 38. The leg of the triangleopposite the apex 34 extends substantially parallel to the base surface26 and the slot 30 is formed therein, the slot having a width less thanthe length of the side of the triangle so as to form a pair of inwardlyfacing shoulders 40 and 41 on each side of the slot 30. Slot 30 is alsoprovided with inwardly converging sidewalls 42 and 43.

Insert member 24 is also formed with a cross-sectional configuration ofan equilateral triangle having an area less than that of the recess 28but with each side of the triangle having a length greater than thewidth of the slot 30 and preferably a slightly concave portion 44. Whenthe triangular insert member is placed in engagement with the showercurtain 18 and forced into the recess 28, the converging faces 46 and 47of the insert member act to spread the sides of the slot 30 apart. Dueto the resilience of the base member 22, the curtain 18 is not injuredbut yet is securely retained in sealed relation with the base member.Whenever it is desired to remove the curtain, it is relatively easy towithdraw the insert member from engagement in the recess. If desired,one end 50 (FIG. 2) of the insert may be allowed to project from theadjacent end 51 of the base memher and this projecting end of the insertcan be grasped and pulled away from the base member, gradually spreadingthe slot of the base member progressively along its length andwithdrawing the insert member from engagement in the recess.

Foolproof assembly of the two members is insured by the equilateraltriangular shape of the recess and insert member.

Pressure sensitive adhesive means 52 are preferably employed forsecuring the base surface 26 of the base member 22 to the supportingsurface 10.

The construction illustrated is intended as representative, since thetwo members of the device may be changed in construction and proportionto suit the particular material to be mounted, and obviously, ifdesired, either of the pair of members cantbe employed as a basememberin other words,reither can be provided with means Which enable itto be secured to the supporting surface. Therefore such modificationsfrom the construction illustrated as are within the scope of thefollowing claims are to be considered a part of the present invention.

I claim:

1. A device for removably securing a sheet of deformable material suchas fabric or plastic to a supporting surface comprising a base member ofresilient material having a base surface adapted to be secured to saidsupporting surface, a longitudinally extending recess formed in saidbase member, said recess having a sectional configuration of anequilateral triangle with one apex thereof extending toward said basesurface and with the side opposite said'one apex extending parallel tosaid base surface, a continuous slot communicating with said recessalong the side opposite said one apex, said slot having v the width ofsaid slot whereby the sheet of material to be secured'can be wrappedaround at least one apex of the insert member and said one apex insertedin the slot, the insert member serving as a wedge to spread the sidewalls of the slot when the insert member and material are pushed throughthe slot into the recess and into overlapping engagement withsaidinwardly facing shoulders, and means for securing the base member tosaid supporting surface.

2. A device as claimed in claim 1 wherein the insert member is made of aflexible material.

References Cited bythe Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS DONLEYI I.STOCKING, Primary Examiner; ABRAHAM G. STONE, Examiner.-

1. A DEVICE FOR REMOVABLY SECURING A SHEET OF DEFORMABLE MATERIAL SUCH AFABRIC OKR PLASTIC TO A SUPPORTING SURFACE COMPRISING A BASE MEMBER OFRESILIENT MATERIAL HAVING A BASE SURFACE ADAPTED TO BE SECURED TO SAIDSUPPORTING SURFACE, A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING RECESS FORMED IN SAIDBASE MEMBER, SAID RECESS HAVING A SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION OFANEQUILATERAL TRIANGLE WITH THE SIDE EXTENDING TOWARD SAID BASE SURFACEAND WITH THE SIDE OPPOSITE SAID ONE APEX EXTENDING PARALLEL TO SAID BASESURFACE, A CONTINUOUS SLOT COMMUNICATING WITH SAID RECESS ALONG THE SIDEOPPOSITE SAID ONE APEX, SAID SLOT HAVING A WIDTH LESS THAN THE LENGTH OFSAID SIDE, THEREBY FORMING A PAIR OF INWARDLY FACING SHOULDERS ONE ONEEACH SIDE OF SAID SLOT, SAID SLOT HAVING INWARDLY CONVERGING SIDE WALLS,AN INSERT MEMBER HAVING THE SECTIONAL CONFIGURATION OF AN EQUILATERALTRIANGLE SMALLER THAN SAID TRIANGULAR RECESS BUT WITH EACH LEG THEREOFHAVING A LENGTH GREATER THAN THE WIDTH OF SAID SLOT WHEREBY THE SHEET OFMATERIAL TO BE SECURED CAN BE WRAPPED AROUND AT LEAST ONE APEX OF THEINSERT MEMBER AND SAID ONE APEX INSERTED IN THE SLOT, THE INSERT MEMBERSERVING AS A WEDGE TO SPREAD THE SIDE WALLS OF THE SLOT WHEN THE INSERTMEMBER AND MATERIAL ARE PUSHED THROUGH THE SLOT INTO THE RECESS AND INTOOVERLAPPING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID INWARDLY FACING SHOULDERS, AND MEANSFOR SECURING THE BASE MEMBER TO SAID SUPPORTING SURFACE.